Chelsea had a mixed level of success last season when it came to how well their players did on loan at other clubs.
The likes of Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson starred for their respective clubs, likely putting them in the shop window for big moves that will bank big money for the Blues.
However, some of their young talent such as Angelo Gabriel and Diego Moreira saw poor form and bad luck with injuries have an impact on their time away.
One player who somehow manages to fit into both categories is Andrey Santos, who was at both Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg last season.
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Andrey Santos chose to go on loan
Despite hardly touching the pitch for the Premier League side, he reminded everyone of his quality when he made the move to the Blues’ sister club, being one of their better players in that time.
He very nearly didn’t go on loan at all though. Santos has now told Fora Do Jogo that the club wanted him to be part of the first team last season.
He said: “Chelsea wanted me to stay last season, it was my decision to go and play. I did very well in the pre-season but I saw that there was Enzo, Caicedo and I wanted to play, have minutes, so I decided together with my family to go out on loan.”
Santos set to feature next season
It does look as if the Brazilian is going to be at Stamford Bridge next season, competing for minutes likely in cup competitions such as the Conference League.
He has more than just Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo to worry about though, with Romeo Lavia also pushing to enjoy his first real season with the club after playing mere minutes due to injury last campaign.
There is already promise though that Chelsea have signed a gem in Santos, and giving him adequate opportunities next season is crucial for his development in West London.
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